Nightingale
by Juunikyuu
Summary: Asha was blinded as a young girl in Japan to teach her parents a lesson in obedience. Years down the line she finds herself in Hell's Kitchen, chasing the Devil.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I've fallen in love with the Daredevil show and the possibilities it opens as being a part of the Marvel Universe. This is the first chapter of an ongoing story I have in my head. It falls kinda in line with the TV show but is also mixed with the comics, other Marvel Universe characters and my own crazy imagination! I'm not sure how often I'll update but thank you in advance for reading!**

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Matt heard the sound of the disturbance from 3 blocks away. It was late and he was on his way home across the rooftops. Ready for a long hot shower and his silken bed sheets. His left side throbbed with a dull ache from where the mugger landed a lucky strike when Matt had been distracted by the screams of his victim. Matt had thanked him graciously for the cracked rib by giving him several of his own along with a broken nose and two black eyes. At least he wouldn't need sewing up tonight.

He cocked his head slightly to the right, honing in on what he had heard. Focusing, breathing, listening.

Then he was running. Sprinting across the rooftops and leaping, ricocheting down the fire escape. There was a fast, too fast, sweet fluttering heartbeat in the middle of that fight. A child. A young, frightened child who smelt of ice cream and fear.

The woman stood defiantly, one arm pushing the child behind her and the other, fist clenched, in a defensive position across her body. Her stance was fierce and protective but she was backed into a corner and she knew it. This alley way was a dead end. She could vault the chain link fence behind her easily but the child on the other hand… Even if she picked her up it would take several seconds too long to get up onto the dumpster and over the fence that way. At least one of the two men had a knife in his boot. The other stank of gun oil, his gun hidden in the small of his back. Shit. She hadn't expected to be drawn into a fight this evening and was cursing the two men in front of her in every language she knew, "くたばれ!"(Kutabare! _Go to hell! Drop dead!_). Her eyes were a stormy grey, flecked with scar tissue and although apparently unseeing they seemed oddly fixated upon the two, tracking from one to the other as they advanced. The small girl hiding behind her had the beginnings of a black eye. Her red hair was a mess and her pale pink shirt was torn. It didn't take a genius to figure out what their intentions had been before she stepped in. Asha always found herself stepping in. The girl whimpered and Asha could feel the fear coming off her in cold, sickening waves.

"Told ya you shouldn'ta got involved, bitch!" one snarled in a heavy American accent.

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Asha retorted, flicking her black bangs out her face. Her own accent was soft and lilted, not native to the American shores but from one much further east.

"Oh, I'll show you what I do with mah mouth. And what Ima gonna do with yours and the gurls!"

"Take one step closer and I swear that you will be eating through a straw for a month!" One thing anyone that knew Asha could tell you was that if she made a promise, she would keep it. For better or worse. It was a trait she gladly inherited from her parents.

"Enougha this shit."

Both men moved forwards. Asha stepped up to meet them whilst pushing the girl back. The youngster scrambled backwards, the only way she could go and squeezed herself down the back of a stinking dumpster, crushed up against a chain link fence. She put her hands over her ears and closed her eyes tight.

Ashas gaze dropped slightly down and to the right at the sound of metal on concrete. A broken chair was discarded in the alley way, it's legs bent out of shape. One had snapped clean off, leaving a sharp sheared edge. One of the morons had kicked it towards her as they advanced. She flipped it under her booted left foot and kicked it into her waiting right hand before swinging it to crack across the closest attackers head. It made contact with his right cheekbone and eye socket with such force that he was sent on a collision course with his comrade who stumbled but kept coming whilst his wounded friend met the damp alleyway floor face first with a dull thud and what sounded to Asha like meat grinding in a butchers shop. His cheekbone was definitely broken now. The one still on his feet roared angrily and swung a right hook towards her head. She lifted the metal chair leg to meet his wrist with a bone shaking pang as he howled in pain before jabbing her left hand out under her own raised right arm to wind him with a palm thrust to his rib cage. Asha heard at least two rib bones splinter. He stumbled backwards with a winded grunt just as his friend picked himself up off the floor and made for the knife in his boot. He never reached it as the metal chair leg whistled through the air and the sharp metal end from where it had been sheared off from the frame impaled his hand. He screamed before a round house kick to the face rendered him silent and unconscious. Picking herself up quickly Asha searched the alley way for the man whose wrist she had just fractured. Her eyes flitted blankly across the alley as she breathed deeply through her nose before zoning in on the direction of the dumpster the girl had hidden behind, focusing in on the throbbing red aura. Her expression remained neutral as she heard the sound of a gun barrel being cocked.

"I'll shoot her. I swear to God. Like fish in a barrel. I'll do it!"

The young girl whimpered and the chain link fence clinked as she tried to curl up into an even tighter ball. The fear was rolling off her now and Asha had to concentrate to stop it flooding over her.

Asha licked her lips slowly. She wished she hadn't. The taste of gun oil was rancid. Not to mention the dumpster. Her expression remained neutral as the man continued to speak.

"Now I'm gonna take the girl, an-"

"No. You're not." Asha cut him off.

The safety was clicked off. His hand wobbled slightly. He was a righty, and his wrist was indeed badly fractured.

"Bitch, I'm not playing!"

"Neither am I. You either put that gun in the dumpster and pick up your friend here to crawl back into whatever hole you came out of, OR I will put your gun in that dumpster and like I said before, you'll be eating out of a straw for a month."

"What th'fuck are you gonna do? Huh? Ain't no one can dodge a bullet!" He turned his attention back to the girl, trying to reach around the back of the dumpster for her with his good hand, "Come 'ere you little brat!"

"No! No, no! Get off me! NO! Mommy! Daddy!"

The assailant was briefly aware of the sound of rushing air as something came hurtling at him. He turned, too late to react as what was left of the chair, besides the leg impaled on his friend, hurtled towards him and smacked him in the face. He rocked backwards, dropping his gun and setting of the chain link fence with its clinks and tinkles. They vibrated through the floor to Asha who was already moving forwards, scooping low to pick up the discarded gun, clicking the ammo pack out of the chamber as she spun to gain momentum before flinging it like a dart at the attackers forehead. It struck him straight between the eyes, breaking his nose. The guy groaned as both hands flew to his face but Asha had a promise to keep. She flung the gun into the dumpster with a metallic clang and connected her fist with his face, grabbing a hold of his shirt with her spare hand. The first punch staggered him. The second one broke a tooth. The third dislodged said tooth and it was swallowed in a gargled mouthful of blood. The fourth punch sent him down to the floor. His ears were ringing and vision blurred. The fifth punch fractured his jaw, the sixth one broke it. The seventh one knocked him out.

Asha was panting. There was blood on her fists and a small spattering on one her cheek. She wiped it off on the back of her already bloody hand. Taking the perpetrators shirt, she wiped the blood off onto his clothes before getting up, dusting herself down and turning towards the dumpster. Her head was cocked to the side before she took a few steps forward and bobbed down, holding out her left hand. She could hear the girl hold her breath, heart thumping hard in her chest.

"You can come out now. I'm sorry I pushed you," Asha said gently.

The young girl was trembling, "I want my mommy and daddy."

"I know you do honey, and we'll find them. You gotta come out now though okay? We need to get away from these bad people."

"Did the Devil come?" Sammy asked quietly.

Asha paused as her eyes flicked skywards briefly, "Yes, but he's gone now," a necessary lie, "Come on," she wiggled her fingers encouragingly.

Slowly, painfully slowly, the girl inched forwards towards Ashas outstretched hand. Her tiny fingers latched onto hers. She was so young. Asha cursed the two unconscious men behind her. If there wasn't a young child present Asha had half a mind to castrate them. Perhaps she would come back and see if they were still here and do it later.

"What's your name?" she asked the girl, helping her out from behind the dumpster and picking her up. The small child settled quickly on her hip.

"Sammy," came the quiet reply as the girl ran her fingers through Asha's bangs, "what's yours?"

"Oh, no one important," Asha smiled, "You can call me A. Let's find your parents shall we?"

Carefully, Asha picked her way out of the alley way and back out into the street. She had only walked about half a block when the noise on the street started to become overwhelming. Her brow furrowed as she took deep breath, past the sirens, past the smell of the streets, focusing on the distraught couple in front of her currently giving a statement to a police officer. They shone through the grubby haze of the street, a tangled mesh of panic and anxiety.

"Mommy!" Sammy cried, wriggling out of Ashas arms, "Daddy!"

Asha let the girl slip through her grasp. She was burning brightly. The glow of happiness and relief. The gift of youth, to forget the trauma so easily in the face of love. Her parents turned at the sound of her voice. Her name bursting through their sobs, etched with relief, pure and utter relief. Asha smiled quietly to herself. Sammy was scooped up into her parents embrace as they collapsed on the pavement together, a family reunited. One conjoined ball of energy and singing synapses. Asha allowed herself to bask in its glow briefly before her attention was caught by the police officer watching her closely. This night looked like it was about to get that little bit longer.

Daredevil remained crouched up on the rooftop above the alley as he watched the woman and girl leave. The womans heart rate was steady. She wasn't lying about finding the girls parents. The girl was unhurt save for the slight black eye she would have. The two men would live, although the one collapsed by the dumpster would indeed spend a considerable time eating through a straw and his friend would need surgery to fix his hand. Daredevil rolled his shoulders and breathed deeply, focusing on the woman, "A". Her heart had remained steady throughout the fight, nothing outside of what he expected of himself, but for a civilian? She moved quickly, efficiently. Probably trained in a martial art. It was the lying that had made him question. She had sworn in Japanese plus at least 3 other languages that Matt could make out. She smelt... She smelt intoxicating. Even now that she had left he could still smell her down the block as she gave her statement to the police officer. It wasn't that her smell was overpowering, it was subtle. Warm, with spices and an underlying note of vanilla. He gave a brief smile. The girl was back with her parents, they were talking, asking her if she was okay. So full of love and concern. Matt lost himself in their reunion momentarily. His head twitched and jaw strained as he heard footsteps approaching. Two people. The woman and... the police officer. He smelt of leather and sweat with a tang of cologne. He was new, his heart beat slightly erratic. This was his first time dealing with a missing child.

"Here officer, these are the men who took the girl."

She was impatient to leave. The knuckles on her right hand were swollen from punching the criminal. She was tired. And... she was hungry. Daredevil couldn't help but smirk as he heard her stomach rumble quietly.

"Did they hurt you m'am?" the officer asked, reaching for his radio.

"No."

Daredevil paid closer attention. He listened carefully for her heart beat, focusing in on her as the rest of the world was drowned out by the steady beat.

"The Devil of Hell's Kitchen, he protected me. Protected the girl."

BA-DUM... BA-DUM... BA-DUM...

Daredevil frowned. He knew she was lying but... no wait. There it was. It was slight, so slight that he almost missed it but in the few seconds the police officer waited to respond there was a small uncertain stutter in her heart beat.

"Samantha said that you helped get her away from the attackers?"

The woman did not appreciate the questioning. It was clear to Matt that she wanted to get home, wherever that was.

"I hid the girl behind the dumpster. When I turned around he'd turned up and was dealing with them. Then he left."

More lies... Only a small fluctuation.

The police officer nodded and began the process of calling it in over the radio, "You're free to go m'am. I've got your statement If we have any further questions we'll be in touch."

"Thank you."

And she was gone. Daredevil stuck around long enough to ensure that the police officer got the back up he needed and watched the two criminals be loaded up into ambulances. Taken off to the ER. Now it really was late. He needed to get home. But this woman. She intrigued him. Who was she? And why did she lie about who helped the girl? He stood up slowly and focused in on her as best he could. To his surprise he couldn't detect her anywhere nearby. She was obviously in a hurry to be home.

Home.

That was where he wanted to be right now.

Making a mental note that this might warrant further investigation Matt vaulted back up the fire escape and across the skyline of Hell's Kitchen in the direction of home.

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**Thank you so much for reading! Please leave me a review with your comments and I'll see you again soon for the next installment!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2 of my fic. I hope it is clear that Asha can't "see" and that she is indeed reacting to smells and noises like Daredevil but with the added bonus of being able to read and feel 'auras' or 'spirits'. It's something I plan to bring into more detail in later chapters. **

**Thank you for taking the time to read my work, be sure to leave me a review! :)**

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Asha leaned heavily onto the glass door at her apartment front to open it. She was tired. Tired and hungry. But first, a shower was necessary. She walked up the stairs quickly, only a few flights to the top apartment. Her home from home. It was an old riverside building that had been refurbished after the incident. She'd gotten a good price for it, or so she had been told. Views meant very little to Asha; it was the peace, quiet and solitude that she wanted. This was, for New York standards, a quiet neighbourhood situated just on the outskirts of Hell's Kitchen by the river and walking distance from Central Park. 'On the up' as everyone kept saying . Pulling her keys out her jacket pocket they jingled in a friendly manner as she unlocked the heavy set front door and slipped inside her own personal haven.

For such a heavy door it shut quietly behind her. Asha breathed deeply, leaning back against the door briefly. Her apartment smelt of incense mingled with a green earthy mix from the numerous plants and flowers she kept in her home. The cool metal of the door through her jacket was a welcome sensation that encouraged her to move forwards instead of just staying where she was, tired as she was. Checking the door was locked Asha tossed the keys to one side and kicked off her boots. The keys landed neatly in a wooden bowl on her side table and boots were discarded at the front door. Moving through the apartment she trailed her hands along the wall before turning and walking with ease across the room and into the bathroom. The apartment was sparsely furnished; a kitchen and dining area at one end to the left of the door with all the necessary amenities. A balcony was a nice bonus in the summer months and it held several potted plants and herbs overlooking the river. There were a small set of steps that were her fire access down the side of the building but also up onto the roof access. A perk of top floor. The main area of the apartment contained two sofas, one smaller than the other, a coffee table, a small cabinet, some storage trunks and what appeared to be a simple shrine as well as several bookshelves heaving with books. On the far wall, between the doors that led to the bathroom and bedroom hung a huge abstract painting. A myriad of colours, a cacophony of energy. There were plants and flowers everywhere. The apartment seemed to breath in colour and spirit. Clothing fell from her body as Asha rapidly undressed and bundled the dirty articles into the wash basket. A washing load would be necessary tomorrow she thought as her nose wrinkled at the smell of gun oil and blood. Asha turned on the water and tested it briefly before stepping in and letting the water run over her. She stood still for a moment, savouring the sound of the water which seemed to dull all other sounds and senses just briefly. Then she began to wash. Starting at her head and working all the way down to her toes.

Precisely 17 minutes later Asha stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and drying her hair. Dumping the towels on the bathroom floor she stepped out into the apartment, her skin singing as it felt the air upon it before she ducked into her bedroom. Nothing fancy here either. A large wardrobe which she now roots through to find something to wear, a very large, and if you asked her; very comfortable, double bed with silken bed sheets, a bed side table complete with discarded tea cup and another shelf with more books. There are yet more plants in here keeping her company as she pulled on a slack pair of jogging pants and plain t-shirt. Running one hand through her hair Asha retreated back out into her apartment and through to the kitchen. She opened the freezer and pulled out a bag of peas, before turning and plucking an apple from the fruit bowl to her left. Sticking the apple in her mouth she headed over to the nearest sofa, the larger of the two and collapsed on it, balancing the frozen peas on the swollen knuckles of her right hand tenderly and takes a huge bite out of the apple, savouring it's crispness. Tilting her head back she sighed and closed her eyes before speaking: "Music. On."

Her apartment is now filled with soft and gentle classical music that strums through her to her core. The sound is immersive, speakers set for surround sound. She sinks a little deeper into the sofa and takes another bite of her apple.

An hour or so later Asha returned to her senses. Her eyes tracked sleepily across the room as she sat up with a groan, turning to the sound of the now partially defrosted peas sliding off her numb hand and landing with a soggy thud on the floor. She blinked momentarily and breathed in, re-establishing where she was before easing herself up off the couch and retrieving the peas. She put them back into the freezer and stretched. Her back popped in a satisfying kinda way.

"Time?" Asha questioned.

"The time is currently 0337," came the reply through the surround speakers.

Asha sighed and traced her hand over the cool marble of the kitchen worktop as she made her out of the kitchen, through the apartment to the sweet embrace of her bed, collapsing onto the billowing mattress and sprawling out on the sheets. She was asleep within minutes, exhausted and full of vibrant dreams.

Matt woke up with a low groan. Somewhere out on the street two men were arguing over a parked car blocking access for another. A dull ache from his ribs gave Matt a subtle reminder of the incident last night. Running his hands over his ribs he was relieved to find that they were indeed just bruised, nothing broken, no open wounds. By all accounts, a pretty quiet night… His phone kindly informed him that it was indeed time to get up as moments later the alarm went off.

He pulled himself out of bed and stumbled through the apartment in a morning daze. The first hit of coffee was savoured before he really got on with his day. He showered, got dressed and had another cup of coffee with his scrambled eggs and toast before packing his bag, putting on his glasses and picking up his cane.

Matt Murdock was ready to face the day. All be it slightly side tracked with the thought of who the woman from the night before was and what her intentions were.

"Ugh, get it together Murdock."

He scolded himself under his breath. It was this new criminal activity around the Docks that he needed to focus on. Something big was going down. He could feel it in his bones. He'd get Karen to investigate the new Dock owners and see who they were leasing to before looking into the companies himself in more detail.

**Foggy. Foggy. Foggy. Foggy. Foggy. Foggy. Foggy.**

Matt was drawn back down to reality by his phone for the second time that morning. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered.

"What's up buddy?"

"Hey! You're up!"

Matt could hear his best friends smirk through the phone, "Yes, I'm up and on my way to work like a good little Catholic boy. How can I help you?"

"Pick up some coffee on the way in will ya? We're fresh out!"

Matt chuckled, "You rang me to ask for coffee?"

He could hear Karen in the background, "Did you really call to ask him Foggy? Jeez, I'll go get some!"

"No! No! Seriously, he always gets the best coffee!" Foggy spoke to Karen in hushed tones before answering Matt, "Well… Yeah! You always manage to get the good stuff!"

Ah, super senses. A blessing and a curse. Matt shook his head with another laugh, "I'm on my way. I'm sure I'll be able to pick something up."

"Thanks buddy!"

The line went dead as Foggy hung up and Matt put his phone back away in his jacket pocket. He picked up his things and stood silent for a moment, checking his apartment before walking down the hallway and out to work. But first, coffee!

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**In my head I imagine that Matt is really particular about what he eats and drinks, because of his heightened senses. He cannot drink tap water. I mean, he will if he has no choice but he normally has a filter at home. Same with his tea and coffee, he prefers fresh. Matt likes to be able to taste what he's eating or drinking, not the chemicals or preservatives in it! Foggy has learnt that Matt is normally really good at picking out the best and freshest food and drink, including the coffee they drink and sometimes uses this to his advantage. Same with takeaway. So yeah. A little bonus headcanon for you there!**

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think :)**


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